Aquaculture

Fish Farming in Nigeria.

The Nigerian Agriculture sector is fast experiencing a major shift especially in the area of Aquaculture. Fish farming has gain popularity over the years and lots of people are beginning to see the significance of culturing fishes for commercial purpose. Most of the fishes commonly cultured here in Nigeria are fresh water fishes which are ; African Catfish (Clarias Gariepinus) and Tilapia . With the aid of foreign experts from Thailand and Vietnam some farms are venturing into other species like the Pangasius (Asian Catfish) and Koi which is also known as common carp.

The African Catfish.

Clarias as it is common called is the most popular specie of the African catfish. Other specie includes; Heterobrancus and Hetereoclarias,  which is a Hybrid of both the Clarias and Heterobranchus. The clarias are more rugged and reach market size of 1Kg from the sixth month. While on the the hand,  the Heterobranchus gains weight very fast and usually grow bigger than the Clarias. Therefore making its market value higher than that of the Clarias. One of the ways to differentiate both of them is through their physical appearance. The Clarias has a long Lateral fin while the Heterobranchus has its lateral fin divided. The Hybrid takes the physical characteristics of both the clarias and the heterobranchus and cannot be used as brood stock for breeding.

Heterobranchus.

Clarias

Ponds.

The African catfish can be cultured using various types of pond culture, classified into ; The Natural earthen pond and Artificial tanks. The Natural ponds can be inform of lakes,  rivers (using cage culture) and dug ponds in high water level (which are basically from about 4ft to 6ft. Artificial ponds can be in form of concrete, plastics, constructed wooden ponds with Tarpaulin etc. Which ever methods you seem suitable for you,  please ensure to adopt best practices in water quality management and feeding to achieve desired result.

Water Quality

Since water is the natural habitat for fish, there are certain parameters you must test for before embarking on a fish farming enterprise. They include;

1. PH. This is the level of acidity or Alkalinity in the water. it is usually from level 1 to 14. For best results and survival, the PH of the water must be between 6.5 to 7.5.
2. Dissolved Oxygen. This is simply the amount of Oxygen in the water. It must be from 5mg/Litre.

Others are Temperature, Turbidity, Hardness, Iron , Lead, calcium, sodium and ,manganese. For the first two analysis, you can purchase a water test kit and check for the parameters yourself. while for the others you should take water samples from your intending site to a water analysis test lab. 

Although, the basic water parameters can be corrected using special techniques on the farm and other water treatment methods, however care has to be taking to recognize the death points for raising fish.

Feeding. 

Feeding of catfish to achieve desired results at Harvest is another very technical issue, the weight of weight gained is equivalent to the amount of feed consumed including other factors. There are notable fish feed importers like Coppens, Rannan Etc. Many farmers prefers to visit local feed mills to formulate their own feed. It is cost effective. 

Catfish Products and Value addition.

Most Farmers usually sell their catfish live to local restaurants, hotels and fast foods. While some prefers to give additional value to the fish by smoking or filleting it. These can be exported to Europe as long as it meets international standard e.g ISO 9000.

Please feel free to leave a comment below or any question as i will be willing to provide answers to your questions.

BB Pin: 265D0A55.